


Neither riches, nor secret truths

by Sandentwins



Series: The Fantastic Polyamorous Adventures of the Condor Kids [2]
Category: Taiyou no Ko Esteban | Les Mystérieuses Cités d'or | The Mysterious Cities of Gold
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Bickering, Cuddling, F/M, Fluff, Golden Condor, Illustrations, M/M, Multi, Polyamory
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-04
Updated: 2019-05-04
Packaged: 2020-02-25 23:00:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,509
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18711424
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sandentwins/pseuds/Sandentwins
Summary: Even though their journey isn't over yet, Esteban would not have it any other way. For even though there's still so much left to discover, he's already found what truly matters.





	Neither riches, nor secret truths

**Author's Note:**

  * Translation into Français available: [Ni Richesse, ni Révélation](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20365882) by [Sandentwins](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sandentwins/pseuds/Sandentwins)



Esteban has seen a lot in his life. He's been many places, met many people, and lived experiences that have changed him profoundly. But even after everything he has lived, every secret he has uncovered and every step he's taken in this journey, the greatest treasure of all still managed to surprise him.

For it wasn't a long-lost legacy from a sunken continent he had a vague and distant parenty with; nor was it a technological wonder hidden in the deepest bellows of a golden metropolis. It wasn't fortune, or earth-shattering revelations, but something still as precious, maybe even more so. All this time, it had been right by his side, only waiting to be uncovered.

And everytime he thought back on it, it made his heart feel fuzzy like a swarm of butterflies.

Beyond the horizon, the sun was starting to rise, bathing his face in the earliest light of the morning. He closed his eyes for a second, took the time to enjoy that warm feeling that spread over his skin, that made him feel rejuvenated and well. There was no escaping his true nature, he's come to realize.

He took a deep breath, as if to cleanse himself of the heaviness of the night that was slowly leaving him, as more light came to shine on him, and greet the resting body of the Golden Condor where he was sitting. The old bird gleamed in turn with a current of orichalcum light, and Esteban could feel the very faint vibration of the engine as the beast booted up. He gave its golden husk an affectionate pat, like an old dog whose tail swishes with excitement the moment it recognizes its master. Then his eyes returned east, to watch the sun rise and color the sky like a painting being made right in front of him, all in orange and pink hues laced with threads of gold.

This golden jewel was their old friend, the one that has carried their crew over lands and oceans alike for five years now. Five years since they've started seeking the legendary Cities of Gold, since they've traveled together to uncover the mysteries of their origins. And even once their quest has ended, there still remained a lot to be seen. The legacy of Mu and Atlantis still had to be recovered, wherever it was, which meant that their trio still had work to do.

A motion caught his attention, getting him out of his thoughts, and he turned his head to see that Tao had also woken up, sitting up with the tired eyes of someone whose dream has been interrupted by a pesky sunbeam. That little grumpy expression of his' made Esteban smile, as his friend yawned and eventually dragged himself closer, sitting with him.

“Good morning, sleepyhead.”, Esteban teased. “I hope you weren't dreaming about too important things.”

“We're not all early birds like you.”, he replied with a bit of amused annoyance. “Or sun-powered organisms.”

“And that's your loss. After all, I always say that one who rises with the sun gains in wisdom and years to live.”

That pretentious, boastful tone only succeeded in making Tao chortle, and mutter something under his breath with a slight headshake. Esteban was willing to bet anything it was about 'typical Atlanteans'.

“I did have an alright dream.”, he resumed after a moment. “I might tell you, if I remember it.”

“Which means I'll never get to hear of it. That's quite sad, your mind is where all the crazy stuff happens.”

“My mind, you say? Why, I might just give you a piece of it if you keep calling me crazy.”

That made the two of them chuckle. Esteban smiled, happy to know his day was starting on such a good note.

Slowly, his head found a way to Tao's shoulder, resting there with a bit of playful fatigue brought forth by the early morning. It was a simple gesture, and a rather shy one; to such humbleness, Tao replied with a solid embrace of his arm, bringing the other closer into half a hug. What a strong grip it was! It made Esteban feel all weak, but in a good way, that only added to the butterflies already present in his gut. And to be fair, he loved it.

“You don't seem so sleepy anymore, it seems.”, he mused. “Have you regained some strength already?”

“My strength never leaves me. You should know that.”

“Does it, now?”

“Do you want to try me?”

And all it took was a challenging glance and a grin, for Esteban to end up caught in a powerful pair of arms that nearly cut his breath off. Talk of a way to start the day!

He tried to struggle, to break free of Tao's hold, but it was way too solid for him to escape; he squirmed out in vain, his face scrunched with pained laughter, before finally giving up.

“Alright, alright, you win!”, he pleaded. “You're stronger than I am, I admit it!”

“It was about time!”

Tao eventually let go, and Esteban caught his breath with haste. But he was smiling anyway, for it seemed there was no changing his friend.

“You're too much, you know that?”, he asked, still panting a little.

“I thought you liked it.”

Well. To be fair, he wasn't wrong here. But Esteban would never admit it, especially not to his face. That was his way to be. And while sometimes this stubbornness made Tao groan in frustration, other times it was simply adorable.

How many times did Esteban's little flaws and quirks annoy him to no end, before he'd realize he was actually endeared by them? How slow has he been to realize that he actually _liked_ his manners and ways, that all his inherent weirdness was what made him unique, and that they'd make him fall in love a little more each passing day? Admitting to his own feeling has been a long, slow process; but there was no helping the obvious. And once he's gotten past his disdain of Spaniards and his obligation to honor an age-long rivalry, he's found out that life actually had quite a sweetness to it.

Sweet like Esteban's honey eyes, he thought. Maybe there was some connection here.

“Like what you see?”

Tao blinked, and realized he's been staring for a moment, while deep in his thoughts. Lost in contemplation, in sweet memories of their first moments of tenderness, and awfully silent compared to his usual endless blabber. A side of himself he didn't willingly show, but that he didn't mind letting be seen. Esteban chuckled, and his smile felt like a tease, that quickly brought Tao's mind back on track. From there it didn't take long for their amateur wrestling to resume, and for the endless battle of stubbornnesses to keep going.

Luckily, it wouldn't continue for too long, for nearby footsteps interrupted their playful fighting after a time. With the ease of experience and habit, Zia made her way to the back of the Condor, joining the two young men who tried to put themselves a little more in order.

“So that's where you've been.”, she said, arms crossed. “I look away for one second and you boys are already at each other's throats. Some days I wonder how in the world you manage to live with yourselves!”

“He started it!”, they replied in unison, pointing to the other.

She chuckled at that, as the boys were glaring daggers at each other, and sat between the two of them to ease the usual bits of tension. Ah, how many times have they woken up in such a state? She had long since lost count.

“Now, now.”, she said calmly, putting a hand on each of their shoulders. “Let's not start bickering so early, shall we? We've got a beautiful view of the sunrise, it would be wrong to ruin it.”

And it was a very gorgeous sunrise indeed. By now the sky had lightened in color, the warm hues of the clouds making way for a pale blue that started to spread over their heads with each passing second. It maybe wasn't the most beautiful scenery they've ever seen, but it still was a lovely sight to behold. And in the silence of their contemplation, it did soothe their spirits a little.

“That's true.”, Esteban noticed softly. “I'd hate to break such a moment.”

“Then stay quiet.”, Tao snickered. “Your voice rings to my ears.”

“It's a wonderful ring, and you know it.”

That got a chuckle out of them. An endeared smile crossed each of their faces, that no bickering could ever quell. Slowly, they sat closer to one another, enjoying the rising warmth of the morning sun draping over them like a blanket. A familiar, reassuring blanket, that's been with them ever since the beginning of their adventures.

Zia moved a little, letting her head rest on Tao's shoulder. Her hair was soft, still a little messy from waking up, and without he knew it his fingers started combing through, to bring some order into that gentle bedhead. She let it happen, closing her eyes and breathing a sigh of happiness. How good it felt to be treated so nicely, when dawn was still quiet and everything felt calm and peaceful! She wouldn't have traded it for anything in the world.

But this could get even better. Feeling some jealous eyes on her, she opened her arm to them, and Esteban wasted no time getting into her embrace. He was as warm as a Condor's wings in the midday sun, and holding him close seemed to fill her own energy back up like an orichalcum battery. She buried her face in his hair, breathing in a whiff of sea salt and seat leather. Familiar sensations that she's gotten to know better over the course of years, and that she couldn't do without nowadays.

These two boys were _her_ boys. That possessive thought brought a smile to her face, as they shifted a little to get closer to one another, both determined to turn her hair into a combing and braiding game, which made her chuckle as they prepped her up like a doll. Seems that her efforts to calm down their rivalry would never bear fruit, no matter how she tried. But that didn't seem to be disturbing any of them, so it didn't matter that much. If anything, she liked their way to bicker, for it'd always end up in a flirtatious way of sorts.

The first time it happened, it came as a surprise. None of them have ever shown romantic interest in one another, besides occasional moments of admiration or jealousy that sometimes happen at the dawn of adulthood. But little by little, things have evolved. As the three of them grew up, as they learned more about the world and about themselves, there have been some moments where they'd consider a turn of their friendship they haven't seen before. Where the tightness of their bonds and the curiosity of their maturing minds would lead to questions, to all sorts of little 'what if's, that in turn led to hesitant exploring.

Hands have started to hold, words have become sweeter; gazes have met, shy lips have touched. Soon there were just the three of them left in this journey, and in the newfound privacy of their travels, they have gotten much more daring than they'd have ever admitted. It was the three of them against the world, breaking every rule they felt were here somewhere, in a corner of their minds that seemed more and more distant the more they traveled together, and witnessed everything the world had to offer.

They have been hesitant at first. They were not sure of what to call themselves, how to arrange their very strange relationship. For the longest time, everything had seemed to indicate Esteban and Zia would be the ones to eventually join their lives and hearts, as if it were a requisite of their prophecized destiny. And indeed, for a time they have considered it, but it did not feel right. There was no way they could leave Tao behind, out of this fate they were supposed to share. They were an inseparable trio, after all, and they've proven over and over again that they could not do without one another. It wasn't part of any great agenda of Mu, but it was how they've done things all this time, and how they've grown fond of doing them. So like all the other challenges they've faced, the three of them would do it together.

Esteban's feelings have long been conflicted, he had to admit. He would never have been able to choose between either of his friends, and he knew they felt the same. If he had the choice, he would take both of them as lifelong companions; yet now it happened he _had_ the choice. And when he had realized that, the rest has come naturally.

After a time of having her hair braided and dolled up, Zia sat up a little, watching the sun which was now done rising. She turned to her partners, and they looked just as eager as she was.

“Come on. We should get going while the sky is clear.”

“Where should we head next?”

Esteban thought about it, looking around the landscape they've landed in last night. An empty field somewhere in the north of the New Continent, not too far from the coast, where they've found more traces of Mu's legacy. Traces that could lead to something great.

“Let's follow the coast.”, he decided after a minute. “Head south, towards the bay. I have a feeling we'll find something there.”

“Why, if you've got a feeling, then it's _got_ to be right.”, Tao mused. “Come on, now. The sooner we go, the sooner we'll find it.”

They all agreed on that, and wasted no time getting going. Esteban let himself slide down the Condor's back, landing into the cockpit and taking his seat. The snake shaft slid right out, nestling right into his hand with the force of habit.

They had a lot left to do, and a lot left to discover. As their bonds got stronger, they realized that no matter what prophecies said, they would not be able to go on without one another. So if they had to continue on their journey, it couldn't be any other way.

There was so much more left out there, waiting for them. So many wonders to be discovered, so many secrets to be seen. Many treasures they would soon have to meet; but for now, Esteban didn't worry. For the greatest treasures of all was neither riches, nor secret truths.

His two treasures were right here beside him; they had his back, his trust and his heart. No matter how long, how hard their journey would prove to be, they would find out together. And wouldn't give that up for anything in the world.


End file.
